Naga's Next Intervention
by DeraldSny
Summary: After stopping Duma from assembling Heroes into a new faction of Duma Faithful, Naga encounters a troubled soul in the form of King Zephiel of Bern. Will she be able to dissuade him from his crusade against his fellow humans? (DISCONTINUED)
1. Dragon Meets Liberator

Another Fire Emblem Heroes story from me. This one will be slightly more on the 'serious' side, but there will still be some humor mixed in...

ON WITH THE SHOW!

Naga's Next Intervention

A Fire Emblem Heroes Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Part 1- Dragon Meets Liberator

Naga floated through the halls of Askr Castle, having just gotten back from a Voting Gauntlet match in support of Deirdre from the World of Holy War. Apparently the theme was Loving Couples, in honor of the recent bridal festival, and Deirdre was determined to win and avenge the defeat of her lover Sigurd at the hands of Bartre from the World of Binding, currently going against the warrior's own lover Karla. _(A rather silly contest if you ask me... but I suppose it's better to settle aggressions this way, rather than all-out war...)_

Just then, the Manakete's pointed ears pricked up as she heard a group of warriors cheering. _(Now what could that be about...?)_ she pondered as she glided in the direction the voices had come from... she soon found the answer as she emerged into a conference hall, a group of warriors sitting in attendance of a very familiar face.

"Power is everything!" A green-haired male Manakete dressed in battle armor thrust his fist into the air as he addressed the gathered men. "Those who do not have power must submit! Submit to Duma! Thirst for me! Thirst for power!"

"Hear hear!" cried Walhart the Conqueror, the others cheering along with him...

_"DUMA!"_

"Wha-?! _Ahhhh!"_ The dragon god of Rigel recoiled in horror. "N-N-N-Naga?! W-w-what in the worlds are you doing here?!"

_"As of now, putting a stop to your misguided machinations!"_ the Divine Dragon stated with an angered look on her face. _"It appears degeneration has already begun to take a hold of you... so now I must put you out of your misery!"_

"C-curses! Disciples, d-defend me!" Duma ordered, sweating profusely. The group of warriors immediately formed a defensive line, save one...

"I refuse," stated a blond man clad in purple armor. "Never shall I raise my sword against a dragon..." He promptly turned and walked away.

_"A wise choice,"_ Naga nodded. _"As for the rest of you..."_ She promptly assumed her dragon form. _"Deliberation is over!"_

The battle didn't last long. When it was over, the new Duma Faithful were all laying defeated on the floor, smoke rising from their bodies... However, Duma himself had long since vanished. _"It would seem that disobedient one has escaped,"_ Naga mused as she reverted to humanoid form... then she heard the sound of clapping, turning to see the blond man from earlier applauding.

"Magnificently done, Lady Dragon," the man said with a small smile. "Clearly these fools had no idea what they were dealing with..."

_"If you believe them to be fools, then why were you following Duma?"_ Naga asked as she floated up to him.

"I only followed him because he was a dragon. Nothing more, nothing less. Ah, but where are my manners?" The man bowed in respect. "I am Zephiel, ruler of the Kingdom of Bern on the continent of Elibe... or the World of Binding, as they call it here. And you are?"

_"I am Naga, former ruler of the Divine Dragon clan,"_ the Manakete introduced herself. _"I once banished Duma and his sister for rebellion long ago..."_

"Dragons fighting amongst themselves?" Zephiel raised an eyebrow. "Clearly you hail from a completely different world than mine... where I come from, the Dragons were all united in pursuit of a common goal.. their survival. Sadly, they failed in their efforts, and were driven to extinction at the hands of foolish man..."

_"Is that so?"_ Naga pondered curiously. _"In my world, I foresaw the rise of mankind and the decline of dragonkind as part of the cycle of nature. We dragons were doomed to degenerate and become feral beasts if we did not seal ourselves into human form... unfortunately, many of my kin disagreed, including the Earth Dragons, to their detriment. My clan was forced to fight them and seal them beneath the earth so they would not render everyone unto desolation... Not just mankind, but all life."_

"I see," Zephiel nodded. "Truly a shame, then, that they did not heed your counsel... But make no mistake, the extinction of dragons in my world was solely the fault of mankind. And given the wretched state my world is in, I have come to believe that was the incorrect result."

_"I see..."_ Inwardly, the divine dragon pondered, _(I can sense a deeply troubled and wounded soul in this one... What would cause him to judge his fellow man so harshly?)_ But that would have to wait for now. _"Unfortunately, I must go, to continue my pursuit of Duma. But perhaps we can speak again sometime..."_

"Very well, I look forward to our next meeting," Zephiel assented. "And I hereby forswear any allegiance with Duma from this point forward."

_"Excellent,"_ Naga smiled. _"Now, if you will excuse me..."_ She turned and flew off.

Zephiel watched her go, before turning toward a secluded corner where a white-haired woman in a purple cloak stood. "You seem curious about her, Idunn."

"You have said that humans were vermin that needed to be cleansed from the world," the Demon Dragon spoke. "Yet, she seems to have the opposite view, despite being a dragon herself..."

"Yes, but keep in mind that she hails from a different world than ours," Zephiel pointed out. "In any case, we shall associate with Duma no more from this point forward."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Idunn bowed her head briefly. "Will we align ourselves with Naga, then?"

"That remains to be seen," the king replied. "Just be sure to treat her with respect, if she happens to cross your path..."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

_*Meanwhile, in another part of the castle...*_

Duma shivered with fear as he hid underneath a dinner table, hoping that the long table cloth which touched the floor would be enough to keep his ancient adversary from finding him... "Can't sleep, Naga will eat me... can't sleep, Naga will eat me..." Oh, how the mighty God of Strength had fallen...

_To be continued..._

Poor Duma... but how will the interaction between Naga and Zephiel play out? Read and review!


	2. Exposition and Discussion

I got about half of this chapter typed up today... guess the muse hits you when it wants to...

ON WITH THE SHOW!

Naga's Next Intervention

A Fire Emblem Heroes Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Part 2- Exposition and Discussion

"So, would someone care to explain to me what happened?" Commander Anna asked critically, eyeing Naga and the injured Heroes, including Walhart, Gharnef, Karel, Michalis, Legion, and Valter among others.

_"Duma was attempting to gather these ones into a new faction of fanatical followers,"_ Naga expounded, _"and they moved to attack me upon his orders... I merely responded in kind. At least King Zephiel was smart enough to know better..."_ The king of Bern gave a small 'hmph' of acknowledgment.

"So where is Duma now?" Anna inquired.

_"Unfortunately, he has eluded me thus far,"_ the Manakete answered. _"Most likely, he is hiding somewhere in the castle, but given how large this place is..."_

"A fair point," the redhead nodded, turning to a group of Askran soldiers standing nearby. "Form a search party and look everywhere you can for Duma, and if he does not resist, have him brought to me. If he does resist, do NOT attempt to engage him, just inform me and I'll send Alm or Marth to handle him."

"Yes, commander!" the soldiers saluted, before turning and marching off.

"Now, as for the rest of you..." Anna turned back to the disobedient Heroes, "save King Zephiel, you will all be stripped of your weapons and be sent to the dungeons for a day, then you are confined to quarters for one week. Lady Naga, you are hereby confined to quarters for two days, for taking matters into your own hands and not informing me of the situation immediately."

_"I will accept your reprimand,"_ Naga acquiesced. The others grumbled at their punishment, but made no further protest as they handed over their weapons to the soldiers and were escorted off.

_*The next day...*_

There was a knock at the door. _"You may enter,"_ Naga said. The door promptly opened, revealing King Zephiel, who walked in with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Lady Naga," he began, "Now that things have settled down somewhat, I was hoping we could continue our discussion from yesterday..."

_"Certainly,"_ the Manakete nodded. _"I believed we were discussing the differences between the dragon tribes of our respective worlds, correct?"_

"Yes," Zephiel confirmed. "You say that in your world, the decline of dragons was natural and not forced by humanity... almost the opposite of what occurred in my world."

_"But why would mankind wage war against the dragons? What was the reason? Could they not coexist?"_ Naga inquired curiously.

"All that is known is that it was humans who instigated the war a thousand years ago... the Scouring, as it is now known. The exact reason why has been lost to history," Zephiel said. "Initially, the Dragons were far more powerful, however the humans had numbers on their side, not to mention they had greater reproductive capacity... they began to triumph through sheer numbers alone. To counteract this, the dragon tribes asked the Divine Dragons if one of their number would become a Demon Dragon, who could use the powers of darkness to create War Dragons, puppets specifically made for battle. However, the Divine Dragons refused, and vanished to parts unknown... but one Divine Dragon was captured and forcibly converted into the Demon Dragon, destroying her soul in the process."

_"No!"_ Naga gasped in dismay. _"How could they do such a thing to one of their own?!"_

"They were doing what was necessary for their survival," the king of Bern countered. "Anyway, thanks to the War Dragons created by the Demon Dragon, the tables were turned on the humans forcing them to create powerful weapons designed to kill dragons... The Divine Weapons, as they are called now. I myself possess the Eckhsachs, one of two weapons welded by the ancestor Hartmut, the founder of Bern."

"However, when the power of the Divine Weapons first clashed with the Dragons' power, it unleashed a cataclysm that re-wrote the laws of nature... the Ending Winter, as it is called. Due to this, the Dragons could no longer retain their true forms indefinitely, but only for a brief stretch of time, forcing them into human forms, and becoming Manaketes."

_"So that is how Manaketes came to be in your world..."_ Naga mused.

"Yes. Of course, the humans took full advantage of this, attacking the Dragons in their weakened state and successfully slaughtering nearly all of them... However, the Demon Dragon herself was not slain, but sealed away by my ancestor Harmut, who then founded the kingdom of Bern in the Dragons' old territory."

_"But why was that one spared?"_ the Divine Dragon inquired curiously.

"In her human form, the Demon Dragon takes the form of a young, delicate girl," Zephiel elaborated. "With her master slain, she was naught but an emotionless statue with no will. She only transformed and attacked out of instinct when the wielders of the Divine Weapons approached her... but Hartmut used his other weapon, known nowadays as the Binding Blade, to defeat the Demon Dragon without killing her, and then sealed her away for 1,000 years. Indeed, he did so out of pity for her... but it was fortuitous for me that he did so, for he left me the tools that I needed to give my world back to the Dragons, as it should have been."

_"...So you believe that humanity has brought your world to the brink of ruin?"_ Naga ventured uncertainly.

"Humans are foolish. They fight and kill each other over petty things, such as money, power, or territory. Family members, supposedly bound by blood, stab each other in the back at every opportunity. They are vermin, consumed by madness. They have forfeited their claim to the world by their own actions. Thus it falls to me to cleanse the world of man..."

_"But if your own ancestor spared the life of the Demon Dragon, does that not put the lie to your assertion?"_ Naga counter-argued.

"Hartmut could not have foreseen the wretched state of humanity centuries after his passing," Zephiel rebutted. "I do not begrudge him for his lack of foresight... after all, he was fighting for the survival of his race, what happened in the far future did not concern him."

_(...it seems he will not be so easily swayed,)_ Naga thought to herself. _"Even if what you say is true, King Zephiel, what about the actions of those summoned here from other worlds? Do their words and deeds not give you pause?"_

"Most of them are either warriors or warmongers themselves," Zephiel responded. "They cannot see past the next battle.. their bloodlust blinds them to all else. Yet I concede there is one who does indeed give me pause... the one among us all who is not a fighter by any means."

_"Ah... you must mean the summoner himself, the one known as Kiran,"_ the Manakete nodded.

"Correct. Even though I am seen as a 'villain' by many here, he always has treated me with the proper respect," the king stated. "Moreover, he goes out of his way to try and assure that no-one is seriously wounded when we are sent out to battle, despite our being bound to obey his every word by the contract of his summoning... he works himself to the point of exhaustion for our benefit, not seeming to care a whit about his own well-being, even though there are those who have advised him to slow down or take a break... Then again, it is said that the world he comes from is vastly different from any of ours, though I know not in what manner..."

_"From what I understand, he was naught but a simple commoner in his own world, with nothing that made him remarkable in the eyes of his peers,"_ Naga said. _"It seems that being suddenly thrust into the role of Great Hero, as Commander Anna has called him, has motivated him highly to try and live up to such a title, even to the detriment of his own health, as you have said."_

"...is that so?" Zephiel raised an eyebrow. "You would think that, coming from such low stature, he would try to take advantage of his new position... How intriguing. Perhaps I should discuss this with him personally... by your leave, Lady Naga." He gave a brief bow to the Divine Dragon, before exiting the room...

_*Later, in the main hall of Askr Castle...*_

"Summoner!" Zephiel called. "I would have a word with you..."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty?" Kiran answered as he ran up to the king, looking somewhat nervous. "What is it?"

Zephiel regarded the hooded man for a moment, before speaking, "You know...I've long had the conviction that humanity had no more worth than the least of all fleas. And then... you. Your deeds here, and those of the others... Every good act has whittled at my certainty."

"T-truly?" Kiran stammered. "S-so, d-does that mean you no longer wish to commit genocide against your fellow man?"

"What I am saying is that you have earned my attention," the king stated. "Still, be careful. The last person to toy with my respect was my father. Ultimately, I had to put an end to him. Now, you have a throat. And I, a hand. Let us hope the two never have need to meet. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes sir! Perish the thought, Your Majesty!" the summoner nodded vigorously. "I would never d-dream of betraying your trust, sir!"

"See that you don't," Zephiel nodded curtly, before departing.

(Ugh... I know they have to obey my orders, but still, some of these guys...!) Kiran suppressed a shudder of fear. (Did he really say that he killed his father?! Blegh, that's not the sort of thing I want to keep bottled up... but, I also value my neck...) An idea then came to him. (Wait, maybe I could tell Naga... she's revered as a goddess by quite a few here, and she's a dragon, so maybe I could 'confess' what I heard to her, and no one else... that should save my precious windpipes, at least I hope...)

And so, his mind made up, the summoner departed for Naga's chambers...

_To be continued..._

I admit, Zephiel's conversation with Kiran was based off of his Lv. 40 'confession' from FE Heroes... anyway, review!


	3. Divine Dragon and Demon Dragon

Finally got enough written to post here...

ON WITH THE SHOW!

Naga's Next Intervention

A Fire Emblem Heroes Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Part 3- The Divine Dragon and the Demon Dragon

Naga floated through the castle gardens, deep in thought, pondering what Kiran had told her. _(So Zephiel's descent into nihilism started with his abusive father... If he were trying to gain his father's favor in the past, but then be driven to murder him, perhaps it is not too surprising that he extended his animosity towards all of humanity... Still, what Kiran has told me gives me hope that he may yet be roused out of his current mindset...)_

A movement caught Naga's eye, the Divine Dragon turning to see a purple-cloaked figure tending to a small flower garden. Her senses told her that this was a Manakete like herself, and yet... there was something dark and twisted about her aura. Curiously, Naga reproached the cloaked figure as she stood up. _"Excuse me..."_

The figure turned, revealing a young woman with pale skin, silver hair and heterochromatic eyes- one pinkish-red, and the other a bright green. "Yes...? Oh, you must be Lady Naga. His Majesty appears to be quite intrigued with you..."

However, her words fell on deaf ears, as Naga looked into the woman's eyes... they said that the eyes were the window to the soul, and what the goddess saw in those eyes horrified her. _"You... your soul has been... shattered! Rendered unto almost nothingness! Who could have done this to you, poor child...?!"_

The cloaked woman blinked once. "I know not of what you speak... My will is to obey His Majesty Zephiel... to carry out his desire to cleanse the world of vermin. That is all..."

Upon hearing this, realization finally dawned on Naga. _"Ah... you... you must be the Demon Dragon of which King Zephiel spoke about..."_

"I am indeed," the woman confirmed. "My name is Idunn. I have been tasked by His Majesty to cleanse the world... However, this is not our world, which left me confused for a while. However, after exploring this kingdom, I have decided to refrain from purging it, for now."

_"I see,"_ Naga nodded, _"A wise decision, young one. If I may ask... do you remember anything from before Zephiel awakened you?"_

Idunn blinked again, before responding, "Before I was awakened... I slept so long...so very long. And as I dreamed in that limitless darkness... I saw boundless, bare white. I was...alone. There was nothing... Not one solitary thing...but me."

_(It appears she does not remember the previous encounter with Zephiel's ancestor...)_ the Divine Dragon pondered. _(Then again, having been sealed away for so long, perhaps that is not so surprising...)_ Deciding to change the subject, she said, "Tell me, Idunn... have you interacted with any others here besides your master?"

Idunn nodded slightly. "Yes... the one from my world known as Lugh. We... explored the kingdom together. Also, the one known as Sharena, the princess of this kingdom... it was she who encouraged me to cultivate this garden."

_"So, do you find gardening to be something you enjoy?"_ Naga gently prodded.

"...It helps to pass the time, while I wait for Kiran to summon me to battle," Idunn answered. "Or for His Majesty to instruct me..."

_"...If I may indulge you, child,"_ Naga began, _"What would you do if King Zephiel decided the world no longer needed to be cleansed of vermin? Your world, that is."_

"Then I would obey his command," Idunn answered immediately. "He is my master, I do his will. That is all."

_"So you will obey him, no matter what?"_

"Yes."

_"But what if he was wrong?"_

"Wrong...?" Idunn blinked, nonplussed.

_"Perhaps, say... if he told you that a certain someone was a threat and had to be eliminated. But, when you went to confront this person, your eyes and ears perceived that this someone was actually no threat whatsoever, either to you or to your king... What would you do?"_

It took Idunn a few seconds to answer this time. "...His Majesty's will is immutable. If he told me to eliminate someone, then I will do it. That is all."

_"Even if they are clearly no threat?"_ Naga pressed. _"Even if there is no need to fight?"_

"...no need to fight..." the Demon Dragon seemed to waver slightly. "I feel as if I have heard those words spoken to me before... long, long ago..."

"Idunn." King Zephiel's voice cut into the conversation like a knife through butter as he walked up to join the duo. "You look unsteady. Are you well?"

"I am fine, Your Majesty," Idunn immediately reverted to silent obedience. "I was simply having a discussion with Lady Naga..."

"Well, you will have to continue your talk later." Turning to Naga, the king stated, "It seems that they have finally located Duma, milady, so I came to inform you."

_"Ah, thank you, Zephiel,"_ the Manakete nodded grimly. _"Is he resisting?"_

"...From what I heard, he was discovered cowering under a table," Zephiel replied. "It seems he is quite afraid of judgement at your hands..."

_"As well he should be,"_ Naga concurred. _"In that case, I will go to him. If you will excuse me..."_ She promptly floated off, leaving Zephiel and Idunn alone.

"...So what exactly were you discussing?" the king of Bern asked his servant.

"She was asking what I would do if someone that you perceived to be a threat, did not actually seem all that threatening," Idunn replied.

"And what did you tell her?"

"That your will is immutable. If you say that someone is a threat, then I shall deal with them according to your will, Your Majesty."

"Good," Zephiel nodded. "Lady Naga's heart might be in the right place, but you should be wary of anything she says that might encourage you to rebel against me..."

"I will never defy your will, King Zephiel," the Demon Dragon swiftly answered.

"I know that you won't, Idunn."

_*To be continued...*_

As always, review!


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